Foreign nationals are fleeing Iran following mutual missile attacks and a vow by Israel to target Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Early on Thursday, June 19, Iran fired a series of missiles at Israeli cities, including Tel Aviv and Beersheba. One of the missiles struck Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba at around 5:00 AM local time, causing significant damage and injuring several people.
According to Israel’s Ministry of Health, more than 270 people were wounded across the country, with four reported in serious condition. Other missiles hit residential areas in Tel Aviv, damaging a high-rise building and forcing residents to flee.
Iran has denied deliberately targeting the hospital. The government stated that the intended target was a military site located near the hospital. However, Israeli officials have dismissed this claim.
Later on Thursday, Israel responded with airstrikes against Iranian nuclear-related sites. Among them were the Arak heavy water reactor, located southwest of Tehran, and the Natanz uranium enrichment facility.
Israeli aircraft reportedly struck the Arak facility at approximately 7:45 PM local time. Iranian state media confirmed the site had been evacuated before the attack and assured the public there was “no radiation danger.”
No injuries were reported in Iran at the time of publication.
In a statement following the attack, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz made an unprecedented threat, stating:
“Ayatollah Ali Khamenei can no longer be allowed to exist. The military has been instructed and knows that in order to achieve all of its goals, this man absolutely should not continue to exist.”
The comment was widely interpreted as a direct threat to the life of Iran’s supreme leader, introducing a new level of hostility between the two countries.
China has begun evacuating its citizens from both Iran and Israel. On Thursday afternoon, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun confirmed that:
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More than 1,600 Chinese nationals had been evacuated from Iran
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Several hundred more had left Israel
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Citizens were being transported from Tel Aviv to the Taba border crossing into Egypt
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In Iran, Chinese nationals were advised to exit through Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Armenia, and Iraq
Chinese embassies warned of long delays at land borders, especially at Astara (490 km from Tehran) and Bajgiran (910 km away), as roads became congested with evacuees.
In addition, Afghan citizens living and working in Iran are reportedly crossing into western Afghanistan in large numbers, although official figures have not yet been released. China has called on all parties to “immediately cease fire,”
